Tag: coyote

We’ve seen a rash of new coyote sightings over the last few days, and one Sunset Hill neighbor says she discovered the remains of either a cat or a small dog in her front yard.

“There was a coyote seen on our block a few days ago,” Amy told us in an email. She said she lives near NW 80th St. and 30th Ave. NW, and the remains were “surrounded by tufts of white fur and blood.” (She sent us some photos, but we’ll spare you the graphic details. This photo shows the coyote’s tracks in her front yard.)

Over in the My Ballard Facebook group, Neighbors near the Loyal Heights Playfield also reported seeing a coyote in the area a few mornings ago. It was on NW 75th St. between 19th and 20th.

Coyotes are known to attack and eat small animals for food, and cats are particularly vulnerable. “People with small dogs and cats may want to be extra careful,” Amy said.

“Huge coyote in the area. I just followed him up 9th NW between 80th and 85th. He ran into someone’s backyard in the 8300 block… [A resident] said he’d seen it a couple of other times in that area. It’s big and really healthy looking. If it’s out in daylight it must be really fearless.”

Coyotes aren’t rare in our neck of the woods, but if you live in the area, you may consider keeping your cats inside. (Thanks Marylinda!)

You may want to keep your cats indoors overnight; a coyote was spotted wandering Ballard late last night. My Ballard reader Alex DeLeon says he saw the coyote wandering around outside his house last night at 11:30 pm near Ballard High School.

It’s not uncommon for coyotes to wander Seattle streets. They’re often seen in Seattle Parks such as Discovery and Carkeek. They’re typically timid around humans, but have been known to prey on cats. Learn more about coyote behavior on this helpful website from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Have you seen a coyote in the neighborhood? Email your report to tips@myballard.com

A number of My Ballard readers emailed in to report sightings of coyotes in the neighborhood early this week.

Ashli spotted a coyote outside the south gate of the Golden Gardens dog park at 1 p.m. on Monday afternoon. She reported that the coyote looked to be between 30-40 pounds and was quite calm. See her full description below:

It headed towards the heavily wooden areas on the southwest side of the dog park and disappeared. It didn’t seem to be hunting or in any sort of aggressive mindset, but I’m not a coyote expert, so I won’t hold that to fact.

The owners of small dogs should be aware of this as they bring their animals there, and many let their dogs off leash on the trails behind the park. It’d be unfortunate if we lost a little furry buddy to appease the coyote’s snack time.

Another coyote was sighted nearby this afternoon by My Ballard reader Isobel. “It ran right across Golden Gardens Drive and View Avenue this afternoon in front of my car,” she says.

If you happen to see a coyote in your neighborhood, the Humane Society stresses that you should neverrun away; instead, yell and shout at it until it completely leaves the area. They also advise keeping pet food and pets inside at night.

For helpful resources about coyote behavior and what to do in case of an encounter, read this from the Humane Society about coyote hazing, and this informational page from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

If you have any Ballard coyote experiences or sightings you’d like to share, email us at tips@myballard.com.

My Ballard reader David emailed in this morning to let us know that he spotted a coyote at the intersection of NW 60th St and 34th Ave NW at 6:15 a.m.

Check out David’s description below:

I run the same loop religiously, and I have never seen a coyote blazingly out and about before. He did not seen scared of me at all (and I’m 6’1” and 185 lbs!), nor was he particularly quick to beat his retreat.

I think that I got to within 75-100’ of creature before s/he calmly trotted across the street and watched me run by, seemingly unconcerned about the encounter.

This coyote was roughly the size/shape of a medium (say 40-50 lbs) dog, and s/he appeared well-nourished.

If you spot any coyotes in the neighborhood, email tips@myballard.com and let us know.

My Ballard reader Melissa emailed in to report that she spotted a coyote at Golden Gardens on Sunday afternoon.

“I was just walking my dog through the wooded area of Golden Gardens that is behind the off leash dog area and saw a coyote walking on the trail. Be alert!,” says Melissa.

It’s not uncommon for coyotes to be attracted to areas like ours, where there’s plenty of food around and relatively little threat.

According to the Humane Society, it’s important to prevent coyotes from feeling “at home” in the neighborhood. The organization recommends hazing, which can help maintain their healthy fear of humans to avoid them showing up at your next barbecue.

If you happen to see a coyote in your neighborhood, the Humane Society stresses that you should neverrun away; instead, yell and shout at it until it completely leaves the area. They also advise keeping pet food and pets inside at night.

This isn’t the first time they’ve been seen prowling the neighbourhood, the most recent sighting being in May last year on 75th Ave NW .

For helpful resources about coyote behavior and what to do in case of an encounter, read this from the Humane Society about coyote hazing, and this informational page from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

If you have any Ballard coyote experiences or sightings you’d like to share, email us at tips@myballard.com.

My Ballard reader Craig emailed in to report that he witnessed two coyotes attacking a black cat in the middle of NW 85th St on Thanksgiving.

Craig was driving down the hill on NW 85th St towards Golden Gardens at approximately 7:30 p.m. when he spotted the coyotes going after the cat.

“The cat viciously defended itself. We stopped, honked, flicked our lights, but the coyotes were slow to leave their prey. After a minute or so, one disappeared into the woods roadside, and the other backed off and watched the cat for a couple of minutes, as the cat sat near the front of the car,” writes Craig.

Craig reports that the other coyote eventually disappeared from the area and the car wandered into the woods. Check out the above photo that Craig took from inside the car of the coyote eyeing the cat.

“Last night (Friday) I was on my way home and turned onto my street to find what I first thought was a local dog, but upon further examination I realized it was a coyote. It ran south and I decided to follow it. After traipsing down the street, it then ran into Loyal Heights Community Center’s park area,” writes Anna. She didn’t see where the coyote went after that and she called the Community Center to report the sighting on Saturday morning.

My Ballard reader Diana also spotted most probably the same coyote on Friday evening on the corner of 34th Ave NW and NW 68th St. “It looked well fed and not afraid. Please remind folks to keep cats inside,” writes Diana.

Remember to be cautious and bring pets inside at night to decrease chances of a coyote attack. Also follow the tips from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife below:

Don’t leave small children unattended where coyotes are frequently seen or heard. If there are coyote sightings in your area, prepare your children for a possible encounter. Explain the reasons why coyotes live there (habitat/food source/ species adaptability) and what they should do if one approaches them (don’t run, be as big, mean, and loud as possible). By shouting a set phrase such as “go away coyote” when they encounter one, children will inform nearby adults of the coyote’s presence as opposed to a general scream. Demonstrate and rehearse encounter behavior with the children.

Never feed coyotes. Coyotes that are fed by people often lose their fear of humans and develop a territorial attitude that may lead to aggressive behavior.

Don’t give coyotes access to garbage. Keep garbage can lids on tight by securing them with rope, chain, bungee cords, or weights. Or keep your cans in tight-fitting bins, a shed, or a garage.

Feed dogs and cats indoors. If you must feed your pets outside, do so in the morning or at midday, and pick up food, water bowls, leftovers, and spilled food well before dark.

Keep dogs and cats indoors from dusk to dawn. If left outside at night in an unprotected area, cats and small to mid-size dogs may be killed by coyotes. If you suspect losing a dog or cat to a coyote, notify your neighbors. Once a coyote finds easy prey it will continually hunt in the area.

Early Monday morning, Katherine tells us that she spotted two coyotes near the intersection of 19th Ave NW and NW 73rd St. She says that after her swing shift she was walking her dog around 1 a.m. when she came across the animals.Photo of coyote from earlier this year in Magnolia.

“We all just sort of stood and stared at one another for a while, and then the two of them loped westward on 73rd,” She writes in an email, “They were the healthiest looking coyotes I’ve ever seen, so they must be eating really well. Actually, I quite like Coyotes: they’re smart and incredibly adaptable. But they are wild animals and must be treated with respect and kept at a distance. I’m worried that these two are so healthy because they are: a) eating dogs and cats that are being left outside at night (I see a lot of lost pet flyers in Ballard); b) eating dog and cat food that people are leaving out in their yards; and, c) eating a lot of raccoons and possums.”

We also received a Tweet from Budi Prasetya around 1:45 a.m., “OMG, I just saw a fox crossing in 24th and 70th Ballard.”

Coyotes have been spotted before in the vicinity of Golden Gardens and Olympic Manor, but this is the first time we’ve heard of a sighting right in the middle of Loyal Heights.

Here is information from the Department of Fish and Wildlife about coyotes. Earlier this year, Fish & Wildlife officers shot and killed a coyote in Magnolia after two months of sightings.

Just wanted to give a heads up to all of you living in Olympic Manor and surrounding neighborhoods who let your small dogs or cats out. As we were driving out of the neighborhood this evening, there was a coyote (a very young and anxious-looking coyote!) running south along 21st Ave. Trust me that I know what a coyote looks like. Keep your beloved pets inside!

Coyote sightings in the general vicinity of Golden Gardens and Carkeek Park are infrequent, but not unprecedented. And over in Magnolia over the last few weeks, a coyote has been making the rounds.